Jack Madrid is leaving his post as president and CEO of the IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) to take on a new role at speech artificial intelligence company Sanas.
Effective Oct. 11, Madrid will become Sanas Ambassador for the Philippines as the US-based AI company expands its operations and commercial presence in the country. Sanas is also appointing Christopher Venturina as director of business development for the Philippines.
Madrid’s departure comes after leading IBPAP during a period in which the Philippine IT-BPM industry surpassed $40 billion in annual revenues and grew its workforce to about 1.9 million.
At Sanas, Madrid is expected to work at the intersection of the country’s large outsourcing industry and the growing adoption of AI technologies in customer service and business processes.
“The conversation around AI and the Philippines should not simply be about what technology can replace. It should be about what technology can help Filipino talent do better,” Madrid said.
“The Philippines has an opportunity to lead the next chapter of global customer experience by combining the strengths of its people with technology that helps them communicate, perform, and connect more effectively. That is what makes this opportunity with Sanas particularly exciting to me.”
Madrid has more than two decades of experience spanning banking, technology, digital commerce and media. Before IBPAP, he held senior positions at Citibank, Dell Technologies, Yahoo Philippines, MTV Philippines, Ayala Corporation and Multiply.com.
His move comes as the Philippine outsourcing industry grapples with the potential impact of generative and conversational AI on jobs and business models. Sanas develops real-time speech AI technology designed for enterprise communications, including speech enhancement, accent transformation and language understanding.
Sanas co-founder and CEO Sharath Keshava Narayana said the company sees AI as a tool to augment workers rather than diminish the importance of Filipino talent.
“The Philippines has spent decades building one of the world’s strongest customer experience industries. What AI changes is not the value of that talent, but what people can accomplish with the right technology,” Narayana said.
“We are investing in the Philippines because we believe the country can play a leading role in defining how people and AI work together to create better customer experiences.”
Sanas said it currently works with more than 200 enterprises worldwide and processes millions of live voice interactions daily.
Venturina, meanwhile, will handle the company’s relationships with enterprise customers, BPO companies and technology partners in the Philippines and the wider region.
“The conversation has moved from whether AI will affect customer experience to how companies can use it effectively and responsibly,” Venturina said.
“Our role is to help organizations turn that interest into practical applications that support employees, make conversations more effective, and deliver better customer experiences.”
